Electrically-operated apparatus for ice-rinks.



D. H. SCUTT. ELECHaCALLY OPER/WED APPARATUS FUR ICE Rmxs. APPLCAHON FILED MAR. 24, 19|?.

l ,24: 1 ,289. Patented Sept. 25, 1917.V

2 SHEETS-SHEI I.

20 y horses to cut down it able pro 'UNITED stra'rns PATENT, OFFICE.

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1,241,239, l l specification of Letters recent.' Pten'ta Sept, g5, 1917,

Applicatie ma noch 24, um. serio n. 151m.

To all whom z't may concern:

Bcl it known that I, Donner* H. SCOTT, citizen of the United States residing at Cleveland;-.in the county of (luyahoga and State of4 Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrically- Operated Apparatus for Ice-Rinks of which the following is a specification. A

This invention ertains to electricallymp erated. apparatus or ice-rinks and means for transmttingelectric current to such apparatus while under motion, and the invention is of especial utility in operating an electric tractor or motor driven ice planer over a circuitous and substantially spiral path on the skating floor of an ice rink.

In the preparation and maintenance of' an ice floor in a skating rink the general ractice is to employ an ice planer drawn the ice' body and smooth the ice surface, butmy invention involvee the' use of an electrically-operated tractor and ice planer adapted to travel on the ice surface and cut the ice to the depth-.of

an eighth of `an inch, more or less, whrle the planer traverses a spiral path beginning at the rim or border of the ice field and working inward toward the center with an overlapping cut to eliminateall ridges in the area to be cut which usually exceeds one-half of an acre. The use of horses is objectionable from many standpoints,` and the employment of a tractor deriving its power from an internal combustion engine is undesirable y on count of the fumes discharged intcthe el rink, -while the use of electric storage batteries is tooexpensive ticable due to the large power and amount of current demanded. On the other hand, I

find that this work may be acomphshed more quickly and economically byy electric ower where the electric current .is obtained om an established service station or over plant, and that the means for tren tting 1 4.5, thoelectriccnrent tothe spirali traveling glaner or electric tractor must a ord.: dainle and aailiolctricol mentions. adapted to upied and also euspendj be coupled and RMO x ed fertili-ningmoviunent abou thoiceenu 5u tace to facilitate operations of Ytle planer.' .The workin area ofthe ico Pliner. lar c rela ively long and heavy electrical cab e must he em loyed, artA of wlncluaulh trail over the ice ehinl t e planer, and sulla vltith mustbe made to support thc ing requireme and quite `imprac.

:'practioe is tooreate a yvcight of cable B wllfas t0 take of its windingmovement 'and tendency to knot occasionedliy the spiral travel of the planer over the ice surface. To-meet these exact' ts I have provided power mechanism adapted to revolve the cable where suspended above the ice surface near the center of the ice field, and preferably'at one side of the center to facilitate a straight travel of the planer on a median line of the rink during final cuttingoperations, and this mechanism is operablel independently of the moving planer and under control 'of the op-A erator directin the movement of the planer, all as hereina er shown anddescriberl and more particularly pointedout in the claims; In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse section of an ice skating rink showing a tractor and ice-planer on the ice floor and an electrical cable connected with the tractor and suspended from operating mechanism seated upon an arched irder which supports the roof of the building. Fig. 2 is a diagram view, in planmi an ice,- skating Hoor with an ice-planer and tractor and its electrical cable shown in full and dotted lines in several different positions thereon. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly, y in section, of the revoluble device for dis` tributing the electric current and rotating and supporting the electrical cable and conl duit, and Fig. 4 is a transverse section thereof on line @1 -4, Fig. 3. Fi 5 is a side view of the separable coupling A or the divisional portions of the electrica t :finita i Fig. Gisa perspective yview showingi@` portion o the frame of the planer orV tractor the terminal coupling members for'thocable .and its'ccndut, and a diagram o theeleetri' cal circuits for the operating and parte carried bythe planer on The invention involves the use 'offitg mld! ing 2 in which a solid loe floor 3.s,!liain tained by circulating a refri yraf "mediam through pipes l, and this ice" con` ie of. rectangularor oval form preferably and" of lar area necessarily where a reet numl ber skaters are'to be accommc ated. My

new ice surface after each skating by planing', Aflooding and freezing operations, and planingis a? complished in the present case by a. kni e planerl 5 drawn over the'surface' -aneleci treaily-operatedoactr e dem-ieg isoelecfined within a. flexible conduit 8 which is detachably coupled at one end to the tractor and at its other end to a tubular shaft 9 carrying a series of current collecting rings 10, and which shaft is rotatably supported in a, suitable housing 11 located at a rela` tivel high elevation above the center of the ice oor and preferably at one side of the longitudinal median line thereof. As shown housing Il is mounted on roof girder 12 o' building 2 adjacent an electric motor 13 which 1s belted in driving relation with a pulley 14 on a horizontal shaft 15 havin a. worin en aged with a large gear 16 on 9 Fig. 3. Fixed rods 17 1n housing 11 support a series of contact brushes 18 opposite the collector rings-l0, and in the present instance five such rings are mounted in insulated position one above the other upon shaft 9, each having a ter minal connector 19 for a Separate wire 7. Three Wires 20 to the line connect with the three lower brushes 1S, and three wires 2i. connect .motor 13 with the two upper brushes and one of the lower brushes, thereby plac ing the electric motor 22 for the tractor and motor 13 9 ln the same line circuit with separate switches 23 and 24C on the tractor. In this Way the operator of the tractor controls not only th the tractor and the planer over the ice, but also independent rotation.

throughout planing operations.

uit 8 comprises two separable sections of rubber or fabricated tube adapted to protect the wires from wear in trailing over the ice and from the twisting strains of rotation, and the section which depends directly from the shaft 9 has a tubular cross piece 25 with perforated k extensions removably pinned to forked amps of a tubular couplin member26 which is secured to. one end o the -'trailin section of tube ori conduit 8. The Wires are also made in separate sections joined together by separable electrical attachment plugs 27 and 28, plug 2'? being located centrally between the forked arms of couplin member 26 and plug 28 being placed etween the forked coupling 29 which is used to anchor the trai ing section of the tube or conduit 8 to a corresponding coupling member 30 {ixed upon the chassis or frame of tractor 6. l The conduit 8 clear of the tractor and planer, and the tube or conduit is woundwith wire to relieve the tube and electric wires of the twisting and pulling strains and the weer of contact with the ice.

Following planing operations the tractor telescopic pipe,

and planer are removed from the ice, and the conduit and electric wires therein are 'uncoupled at the tractor and also Where joined by coupling 26 and plug 27 seven to eight feet above the ice. Switch 23 which is mounted on the tractor is used to place the driving motor 22 for the tractor in the electric circuit, and switch 24 is used to start, step and reverse motor 13 which operates shaft 9 of the rotary elcctric-current distributer in housing 11.

What I claim is:

1. In electrical] operated apparatus adapt ed for use in a slatmg rink, an electric-cul" rent distributing device and an electrical cable in rotatable connection therewith, in an electrically-propelled apparatus having an electrical coupling for said cable.

2. Means for transmitting electric current to an electric tractor or pl a circuitous path 1n Within the rink and having an electrical cable suspended therefrom which is provided with an, electrical coupling adapted to be connected with said electric tractor or planer.

3. Means for transmitting electric current to an electric tractor or planer while under motion in an ice rink; ccmprisin a revoluble electricrcurrent distributing evice, an electrical cable connected with said device' and the electric tractor or planer, and controllable means to revolve said device.

4. An electrically-propelled vehicle ada ted to travel in a. circuit on the floor o a skating rink .Y transmitting electric current to said vehicle While under motion, rotary electric-current distributer having a. flexible electrical cable suspended therefrom and rotated thereby and hicle.

5. An electrically-propelled ap combination with a rent distributing appliance conduit suspended therefrom, Wires within said conduit in nection with said apparatus revoluble appliance.

6. In combination, an electricall propelled vehicle adapted for use in a s ating rink, an'electric-current su ply cable co l 4' d) having an elevated rotatable support provided with eleccollecting members, power means to rotate said su port, and acontrolling device to start an stop said n an ice rink, an e pport nbove the Hoor of said rink, tric-current distributer mounted upon said support, an electrical cable and a Hexible conduit therefor suspended from said revoaratus, in ectric-curand electrical couplingi conand with seid a revoluble eleci luble distributer, and separate coupling and attachment members at the lower ends of said conduit and cable, respectively, adapted to establish mechanical land electrical connectionswith transportable electricalapparatus in said rink.

8. A vehicle having electrical propelling mechanism and atrailin electrical connection therefor, in combin tion with a revoluble electric-current `distributing appliance having coupled union with said connections, and means to revolve said appliance and connection upon a circuitous travel of said vehicle. i l

9. Means for transmitting electric current to an electric vehicle in a skating nink, com prising a revoluble electric-current distributer having an electrical cable and a protecting tube for said cable suspended therefrom, said tube and cable being made in separable sections, .each having a terminal coupling member to unite the sections.

10. An electrically-propelled apparatus havingk a coupling mem er projected at one side t ereof, and a lexvble tube aixed at one end in trailing connection with said member and having electrical Wires extending therethrough, in combination with a rotatable support for the other end of said tube having electric current distributing connections for said wires.

11. In an ice rink, an electric-current distributer having arotatable member mounted substantially centrally in an elevated position above the iioor of the rink, electrical wires and a flexible conduit therefor suspended from said member and rotatable therewith, and separate coupling devices for the ends of saidV wires and conduit respectively, in combination with an electrically propelled apparatus adapted to travel over the ice rink floor having coupling connection with said coupling devices.

l2. In combination, an elevated rotatable electric-current distributing device and an electric motor in operable connection therewith, an electric cable for the transmission of electric current suspended from said device and rotatable therewith, an electricallypropelled apparatus in electrical connection with said ca le, and means mounted upon said apparatus adapted to control the operation of said motor and. electricfcurrent distributing device.

Signed at Cleveland, in the count of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, this 23r day of March, 1917.

DUDLEY H. SCOTT. 

